The story has it that a scorpion wanted to cross the river, so he asked the turtle to give him a lift. “No way,” said the turtle, “You’ll get me out in river then sting me until I drown.” The scorpion retorted, “Hey, that is not logical. I can’t swim so I’d drown too. Just take me.” The turtle relented and off they went with the scorpion riding the turtle until they got to middle of river. At that point the scorpion stung turtle and stung and stung until poison began to do it’s deadly work. As they both sank, the turtle calmly said, “Do mind if I ask? You said there’d be no logic in your stinging me. So why did you do it?” The scorpion sadly replied, “It has nothing to do with logic, it’s just my character.”
Most of the new religions – the new age religions – have little to say about character. And by that I include the philosophical and educational “religions.” They tell children to reach into their tiny souls and do whatever they can dig up. Their slogans are such things as: “Find the magic within you.” “Be all that you can be” – “If you can think it, you can do it.” Some of them actually teach that Lucifer was our greatest benefactor because he urged man to move beyond the limited confines which God had proscribed. Some of them teach that good and evil are just two sides of the same coin. They aren’t opposites but reciprocals – interchangeable partners depending on the current need. When you tie this to secular humanism, with its declaration we just evolved animals, you can see why morality is becoming thing of past; like “puritanism” and “victorianism.” And Bible Christianity. When Candy Turner and Roxanne, her sister, were with us, they were both teaching in a Christian school. They talked about a year when a number of Russian immigrants began to send their children. The new-comers, could not see that lying and stealing were morally wrong – contrary to the Christian principles of the school. They had a completely different mind-set. And that sort of thing is pervading American society.
In contrast to that, we see that real Christianity teaches, commands and demands that there is a difference between right and wrong. In other words, Christianity teaches a specific kind of morality. When that morality takes up residence in life of a person, it is called “character.” Nothing can replace good character. And no amount of riches, good deeds, or love can atone for poverty of character. I believe that the absence of Bible morality and Christian character explains the reason why the world is such a rotten condition today. When the evolutionist tells kids they nothing but animals – they act like animals. When the psychiatrist says, “Be yourself,” the depraved heart will sink into the pig sty.
It goes without saying – our society needs the Lord, and the teachings of men like Peter here in our text. And something which we tend to forget is that general society begins with us – you and me. We can’t expect the federal or local government to legislate morality. The government which our society needs begins in hearts and souls. We need a spirit-controlled self-government.
Here are four recommended areas of good self-government.
Let’s start with INDIVIDUALISM.
Real individualism in the 21st century is rare. I am referring to the freedom to act and think independently of fads, fashions and instructions. I am not by nature conspiracy hunter; I don’t see a communist behind every bush or under every rock. But the Bible does reveal that the world is living under a very serious, universal, conspiratorial attack. We see it developing as early as Genesis 3, when Satan formed an alliance with the human heart. “The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked” siding with Satan at every opportunity. Every human heart is only evil from the beginning. The Bible tells us that Satan is “the prince of the power of the air,” and that he has tentacles which reach into every area of human society – life – including religion. We should not be surprised to find Satanic decisions being made by government. We aren’t surprised when every Hollywood depiction of religion or Bible stories are corrupt. We should not be surprised when education leads away from the truths of Jehovah.
What is society’s general goal when it comes to abortion, homosexuality, marijuana, religion and any of a hundred other modern topics? It wants agreement – smoking tobacco is bad, but smoking marijuana is good. The execution of murderers is bad, but the murder of unborn babies is good. The right of a transexual to a public bathroom is good, but that some company refuses to hire that transexual is criminal. Isn’t it true that government, religion and education want us all to jump in the same direction at the same time? Our leaders are trying to mold society into a kind of progress which leaves out eternal truths and the self-evident differences between right an wrong. There is a universal conspiracy to rid the world of Jehovah. There is an attempt to bring all the world into a universal line of linear logic, where everyone can be pulled along by the hooks in our noses. Despite evolution’s assertion of the survival of the fittest individual, the purpose of the evolutionary ideal is the destruction of individualism.
But the Bible teaches the importance of the individual. For example, salvation from sin is for the individual only, as opposed to society or entire families. Catholicism and Protestantism are essentially anti-individual – they express it in infant baptism. But sovereign election is all about God and the individual. The mountain peaks of the Bible always involve single people – Moses, Nehemiah, Elijah, John, Paul. The greatest men in history have been leaders and not followers like most of their brethren.
The Christian is a priest of God, born-again to stand above the crowd. We have the Holy Spirit to enable us to read the Bible, to be leaders and teachers. Our individualism can get us into trouble, when it suggests that everything we believe or practice, must be different from everyone else. But it is right and good when it enables us to study and accept the truth because it is true, and not simply because we are told that it is true. Under God we are supposed to be forces for good and not merely followers. “Follow not a multitude to do evil,” yet that is exactly what we are constantly being urged to do. God wants men and women who will identify with eternal Truth, standing and contend for the faith which God has given to us in the Word of God.
A second thing often missing in our society is real INITIATIVE, ingenuity.
Most people are told what to do & then wait for orders or suggestion before moving on to something else. This is a natural step following the destruction of individualism. When the individual is replaced by the group; the group must make decisions for the one.
So our socialistic society frowns on initiative. The farmer is told that he can’t just grow any crop that he wants. The storekeeper can’t charge any price that he likes, and he can’t get his product from whom he wants. If the union man decides to work through his lunch break, he may loose his job for his initiative. If the politician tries clean up name of government, his fellows will see that he is never re-elected. Imagine Christopher Columbus in our society – he never would have sailed west. James Simpson in 21st century might never have found anesthetics.
Most people are obedient sheep on the road to the slaughter house, doing what the world tells them. We’ve lost our self-reliance and, with it, our self-respect under God. For example, American society proudly claims to be literate – most of us can read – 51%??? But do we read? Yesterday, at the gym, there was the largest crowd I’ve ever seen. I always take a book to read – history, biography, doctrine, fiction. Can you guess how many others were reading yesterday? Take a look at places where individuals stop for a moment – coffee shops, reception areas, bus stops. How many bring something to read? Aren’t most of them looking at their phones? Non-readers are chained to people who think on their behalf. They are sheep following their shepherds. When governments reach into homes, lives and souls, people learn to depend upon it. One welfare check brings another, until the whole society is on socialism. Where is initiative today?
Something else far too lacking is INTENSITY – depth of heart and vision.
It seems that very few things are worth fighting for any more. Society gets excited only about the socially acceptable subjects. Where are those who are fighting for the important things of God? Don’t you find the story of David and Goliath somewhat amusing in the light of today’s society? David said to his brother, “Is there not a cause?” – “Isn’t there a reason for which to fight?” The cause to which he referred was the honor of God – not the rights of short people versus the tall. It had very little to do with politics, freedom from oppression and the terrorism of the Philistines. It was Goliath’s blasphemy of Jehovah – there is something worthy of a fight. Modern society has no right to speak of David and Goliath because the context is all wrong.
Some might be questioning my attempt at publishing a few sermons and lessons in book form. To be honest, I have been examining my heart in regard to putting these things in print. I have asked myself a dozen times whether or not I have been motivated by pride. Although there is no way to prove it to anyone, my answer thus far has been, “No, it is not a matter of pride.” There is been no fame or notoriety. And it’s not about money. So far, I have spent about twice as much as I have made. A few years ago we had a series of lessons on John 17 – “The Lord’s Prayer” – this week, they have been put into print and into Kindle format. One reason for doing that is because some of you said that those lessons were a blessing. And in another month or so, the lessons which we had on the subject of pain will be published. Again, I am doing that in order that others might be blessed as a few have been in the past. If a message or a series has been good enough for one of the Lord’s churches, it ought to be good enough for others as well. But there is something else. That first book – the “Trivia Book” – begins with the subject of “Abominations” – Biblical abominations. And if you will remember, several of those questions dealt with what the Bible called “the abomination of homosexuality.” Amidst all the pro-homosexuality propaganda, I wanted to express my little pro-Biblical position. Then following that there are nearly four-hundred pages of other Biblical and Baptist doctrines which ought to be out there for people to read.
If we believe in something then we should believe it with some degree of intensity. We should be willing to risk our reputations before the world; we should be willing to risk our lives. Where are the Davids, the Daniels, the John Baptists today?
One more thing which is missing today is INTEGRITY.
This is a huge subject – a subject which can’t be expounded this evening. It includes honesty, sincerity, and purity of heart. Integrity suggests soundness, as in the integrity of a building’s foundation. It means uprightness, perfection simplicity of intention and genuiness.
Integrity is so lacking today, I am almost ashamed mention it. It is so well documented that it’s almost pointless to point at it. Where are the old-fashioned verbal agreements today? Not even Christians can afford to deal in large sums and big issues without paper-work. Where is the truth at all costs? And listen to the insults and lies slung by the candidates for President. Are any of them men of integrity? We are living in the days of new morality and situation ethics.
The only answer to these problems and social defects is Biblical Christianity. But I’m afraid that not even true revival in a few hearts can meet the need of society. Yes, it would be wonderful if great multitudes were being converted, turning to Christ. The only absolute solution is the direct intervention – the intrusion – of Christ Himself. Oh, for the return of Christ Jesus.
In the mean time you and I need to be, and we need to be surrounded by Christians of individualism, initiative, intensity and integrity for the glory of the Lord.